Ice
by quixoticspecter
Summary: I think scanra is lacking in it's good heroines don't you. Except she just from Scanra for now...I don't really know what she's going to do later on...Oh well it's worth a try...there are some funny bits


A young girl wallowed in the rushing torrent of the (I don't know the name of the Scanran border) river. She was flung against the rocks by the swelling torrent and was swallowed back once again as it beat her with fallen debris. One last time and she was unconscious as the river swirled its pitiful burden out to sea. The sun found her on the delta that morning bruised and battered clinging to the muddy grass and rocks that meant life. She was dazed with hunger and bleeding profusely from cuts on her neck arms and legs, the river had not gently landed her here but had thrown her with full force against the rocky delta. Matted and dirty silvery blond hair mixed with the blood on her face turning it the color of rust. Her eyes held sorrow that no eight-year old's eyes should bear. She had no name no family and no hope, she would die soon she thought. She did not want to die and this thought drove her to creep to the edge of the rock and take small life-giving sips of the cool water and she slept inches from the river finally at rest.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"What did you find?"

"Scanran whelp by the look of her. Half dead though."

"Bring her if she dies on the voyage she dies but we can have her till then."

"We have too many children as it is all of them Scanran since that Blayce died. They jus keep havin them and letting 'em go off wivout anyone to take 'em."

"So we're doin our civic duty by takin this one off their hands."

"What do you know about civic duty?"

"Just shut up and take her."

OoOoOoOoOoO

She awoke to the mage tightening the leather collar around her neck. Struggling she kicked the mage and tried to break free. He swore and punched her in the stomach and as she doubled over kicked her to the floor holding her down with a spell as he finished the collar. Hauling her up by the neck he called to the two men that found her and they staggered in somewhat drunk.

"You two scum tie her up and leave her in one of the empty pens she's a wench for sure. We'll get plenty on her." One man held her down as the other forcefully tied her hands behind her back and hobbled her legs. Throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes they staggered down into the hold with their small almost lifeless burden.

"You know I don't see the point of tying her up she no more than skin and bones. Waste of rope I say," said one to the other.

"Shut up nobody cares what you say," growled the other who was rubbing his head where it hit the top of the hold.

"My mummy cares what I say," he started drunkenly.

"Your mummy was a slut and your da was a drunken sailor."

"So," he retorted brandishing the girl's still rigid body at him.

"Aw shuddup and put her away." He unlocked the pen and the drunk sailor tossed her in on the bed of dirty hay.

"She's a pretty one though," he said changing the topic.

"Don't get comfy with the merchandise you idiot. She's a toy for a rich noble not a half wit like you," he slammed the door shut and began to walk towards the ladder followed by the drunk man singing about fishwives and curdled milk.

OoOoOoOoO

"Get em in there you insufferable dolts! Before the Captain sells you all to the butcher."

A thirteen year old and an woman carrying a toddler were unceremoniously tossed into the pen along with a bucket of cold water and a few loaves of stale bread. The water sloshed heavily over her and the other captives glared at this misuse of their water. A few men dove towards the bread, the younger faster ones stuffing whole loaves in their mouths before the others reached the food. They turned on her in an instant kicking her out of the way in order to get the water that was left in the bucket. The girl dove for the last crust of bread that had not been taken and hid it in the sleeve of her tattered gown. Looking towards the newcomers she saw that they were in shock and had not received any of the food. A friend would be better than a crust of bread. Sighing she offered the crust to the toddler who was eyeing her with mournful brown eyes. He took it and then offered it to his mother who in turn offered it to the ten year old who took a bite then gave it to the toddler who took a bite then offered it to his mother who in turn looked at the small scrap of humanity and offered the bit of crust back to the giver.

"You have to eat else wise you'll rot like mum did." The plain words startled the young mother but she still offered the scrap to the girl.

"As do you," she replied sensibly.

"I don't need much honest," she lied back. The woman instead broke the piece in half and gave one piece to the girl who tucked the bread into her sleeve with the rest of the scrounged crusts that she had saved for the days when she got nothing.

"Who are you?"

"I come from Scanra," she replied avoiding the question.

"What's your name?"

"I got none."

"No name, you're a whelp aren't you?" asked the boy disdainfully, "a bastard, we don't talk with your lot."

"You keep your tongue or it will be cut out young man. This young _lady_ is far more mature than you are," rebuked his mother with a glare.

"Father set us all an example we are merchants not scum like her filthy lot."

"Your father, Mithros help him sold us all into slavery before he died at the hands of those pirates," she said sharply, turning to the girl she apologized saying, "Colin learned the mannerisms of a merchant with his father, no compassion for those he robbed blind."

"That money made you rich mother."

"It also made you a selfish-brat."

"Shut up woman!" he roared. She slapped him across the face.

"I will not be spoken to in that tone. I am your mother and you will respect me as I am due. You will also respect this young lady here as if she were your sister. You are no longer the son of a merchant but a slave young man."

"I thank you for the kindness you have shown this tattered and broken family. Colin has much to learn but then again so do I. I was rich before the pirates came and opened my eyes to my husband's true nature," she smiled ruefully and glared at Colin. The girl stared at her and then walked away to a corner in the pen where she promptly fell asleep. The woman watched her for a while then rocked the toddler to sleep.

OoOoOoOoO

Colin heaved heavily onto the straw where he had been sleeping as the storm rocked the boat from side to side. The boat reeled drunkenly close to the rocks tearing a gash in the wall of the pen. Salt water rushed in waking the occupants of the pen with stinging cuts. The girl awoke suddenly as the water poured onto her frail frame. The woman held her wailing baby trying to quiet his screams with an old bard's tale. Several of the older boys were lunging at the small hole trying to escape in vain and blood flowed freely from the cuts that the wood splinters made. Colin joined in the fray leaping and pounding his body against the other boys trying to get through. His mother cried out as Colin was bodily thrown out, his back bleeding and torn. Handing the baby to the girl she dragged Colin into her lap furiously ripping his clothing into bandaging for his wounds. The men at the hole slowly died down when they realized that it was far too small. They returned defeated to their sleeping places and drifted off into exhausted sleep. The girl cautiously rose from her sleeping place with the baby and looked out of the hole into the savage storm.

"Girl if you can make it please take my son," the clear words seemed to echo in the abrupt stillness of the pen. The girl turned and solemnly nodded. She slipped off what was left of her tattered clothing and formed it into a makeshift sash. Taking the quieted baby she wrapped him in the sash and tied him securely to her back with his mother's help. Heavy footsteps sounded on the ladder into the hold and the girl looked fearfully upward.

Whispered words came to her just as her fingers left the jagged edge of the boat, "His name is Riley." And then she let go and fell into the merciless waves. Momentary fear swept over her as she remembered the river and it's strangling current but the desire to live was stronger than this and she pulled herself upward. She could no longer see the boat and there was no sight of land. Water tumbled her through the waves and she swallowed heavily as air was pounded out of her lungs. Blackness came relieving her of any will and she slowly stopped struggling.

OoOoOoOoO

"Well well Kyprioth it seems to me that you've been meddling with a few people's lives lately?" an old woman tapped his shoulder teasingly.

"Not meddling, helping."

"Is that so?" she arched a charred eyebrow.

"Yes, yes of course I'm a trickster god and I 'help' people."

"What's your trick this time? I want in."

"Go mess up your own country."

"I'll wager you…"

"I'll have none of your wagers Hag."

"Fine then I'll just go tell our brother to look in on this 'trick' of yours."

"What do you want old girl?" he sighed.

"Actually it's a favor from another goddess. And I'm not that old."

"Somebody has you over a barrel?" he teased.

"Once in a lifetime occurrence brother," she said huffily.

"Well there was that mortal, Daine I believe."

"Ancient history."

"Not exactly out of the century."

"Shut up Kyprioth."

"Who is it?"

"Scanran girl she's about to die. In Tortallan waters I believe." He _looked_ at the waters near Tortall and found the girl a few meters from the slave boat.

"Which does this goddess want me to save? The babe or the girl?"

"Both."

"Fine as long as you don't tell our esteemed brother." The Hag watched the image taking place in the water and saw the wave rushing over the girl.

"Now Kyprioth before they die!"

"Relax I want some drama here."

"Kyprioth my dice are at stake!"

"Is that what you did? You bet your dice? A Trickster goddess bet her dice!"

"I'll mess up your trick," she warned.

"Fine here," the girl and the babe were delivered gasping to the shore of a nearby beach.

"You better not have killed her."

"Oh no she's a toughie."

"Mortals are not strong."

"Daine was."

"That's a sore spot brother."

"I'm deeply sorry."

"Oh shut up." The old goddess left with a large crack of sulfur and brimstone leaving a burn mark in the grass near Kyprioth's feet. Shaking his head slightly he patched the grass up _sisters. _He looked again at the beach where the girl lay half dead _you're a pretty one aren't you? Maybe I can use you instead of that noble. Nah too young, untrained and already claimed as a patron. Too bad though._ He left his image pool copying his divine sister's dramatic exit.

OoOoOoOoO

"I can feel it in my bones son we're going to find treasure today," the old man nodded to the wreckage strewn beach. His son rolled his eyes _he's going to crack one day._

"Marc hand me a bag." As his son complied the old man sniffed the salty air and smiled.

"Here da."

The two searched up and down the small beach oblivious to the seagulls that were gathering on the shore. Masses of the birds circled along with crows and ravens.

OoOoOoOoO

"Kyprioth I didn't ask you to save them for the crows!"

"Patience is a virtue."

"Hags don't have virtues."

"You're right about that."

OoOoOoOoO

As Marcus and his father sat down to their meager lunch and it was then when they realized the odd behavior of the birds.

"Ah ha we've found it!"

"Found what?" his son moaned as he stretched his arms over his head.

"A ship, or maybe just bodies from a ship."

"Why do you say that?"

"The birds are circling around them."

"Oh, what if it's just bodies?"

"Bodies have plenty of good stuff."

"We're not grave robbers da."

"They're not buried." Marcus groaned inwardly at his father's cheerfulness.

"Come on then let's go."

"Now?"

"Before the birds pick em clean."

"That's revolting."

"I never said it wasn't."

"We can always go back to the mill now," asked Marcus hopefully.

"And leave this opportunity?" his father asked incredulously.

"What an opportunity, grave robbing," his son muttered in reply.

"I heard that."

"No doubt you did."

The son spotted the girl and babe first as they feebly batted the crows and seagulls away.

"Da it's a girl, a living girl."

"Well don't just stand there go help her." Marcus dove into the swarm of birds batting them away fiercely. Several birds showed their distaste with presents of slimy white droppings. When he reached the girl he just stood there tongue-tied at the sight of the slave collar.

"Is she alright?"

"She's a slave da!"

"Well help her up already!"

OoOoOoOoO

The Hag stared intently at the pool, "You picked an odd type of rescuer."

"I was kinda pressed for time she was dying on me."

"Oh please you're a god."

"I didn't want to be thought of as meddling if I had Allana the Lioness come get her."

"What about Raul, Giantkiller."

"Already attached, dear sister."

"Oh well, too bad."

OoOoOoOoO

Marcus reached down and gathered her and the baby up and made his way back to his father.

"Well what are you going to do with her?"

"I don't know."

"Let's clean her up first."

"What about the baby."

"Convent will take him in."

"And her?"

"We aren't rich son maybe Kieran will take her in as a servant."

"She's too young," protested his son.

"She can work," his father said firmly.

"Fine."

OoOoOoOoO

"Kieran I've found a worker for you!" the man tugged the washed up girl behind him. She now wore a rough pair of leggings and a tunic that had seen much use.

"You better not be wasting my time Silas." The gruff man turned from the kegs he was unloading from a wagon

"Not this time my good man." Kieran looked her over noting the giveaway hair and eye color that marked her Scanran.

"Where'd you get her from?"

"The beach."

"One of your 'treasures'?"

"As a matter of fact, yes she is."

"What about that slave collar?"

"Defective, as you can see she isn't dead yet."

"What happened to her?"

"I dunno she doesn't speak much."

"Has she been used?"

"No, I don't think so anyway," Silas looked Kieran over, "You don't plan on…"

"None of your buisness ."

"Kieran this is a Royal Wayhouse you don't mean to tell me that you cater to their lot?"

"We all have to make money my friend, besides she's too young."

"Later though, will you?"

"She'll probably get picked up by a noble who wants to buy her bond before that."

"But Kieran, do you?"

"Enough Silas are you going to give her to me or not?"

"There is a price involved."

"For Mithros' sake Silas you picked her up off the beach!"

"We all have to make money my friend."

"A copper noble."

"Two."

"It's a lass Silas. If it were a lad maybe two."

"Two."

"You're wasting my time. One copper noble or none at all."

"Hand it over first." Kieran reached into the pouch at his waist and proffered one copper which Silas took.

"Give me the girl."

"One minute let me explain it to her."

"Fine."

Silas bent down so he could see her face clearly, "Alright lass you're going to work for Kieran now okay. Be a good lass, don't let me hear a bad report."

"What about Riley?" she asked quietly.

"He's being taken care of by the priestess alright?"

"Yes sir."

"Be a good lass now."

"Are these touching sentiments over?" demanded Kieran.

"Yes Kieran," said Silas as he rose to his feet.

"I don't want to hear any rumors about the girls I take in. Do you hear."

"Aye."

"Good be off then." Silas turned to go and the girl started to go with him.

"You stay here girl," Kieran barked, the girl stopped and slowly walked back to the innkeeper who grasped her hand firmly and pulled her into the innhouse.


End file.
